The present invention relates to an arrangement and a method for keeping lactating animals in a loose-housing system comprising at least one milking stall provided between resting and feeding sections of said system, said milking stall being provided with at least one milking robot and entrance- and exit-gates and said system being provided with means for identification of said animals, said milking stall and identification means being connected to a control device for selective milking of the animals.
In the Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 45 (1997), W. Rossing et al., it is stated that animal behaviour in relation to automatic milking is crucial for the welfare of the cows. A positive aspect is said to be the fact that high-yielding cows have increased lying times when milked more times daily (Ipema et al., 1988). A lower tension in the udder which offers more comfort to the cow to lie down, might explain the increased lying times.
In an automatic milking system cows are no longer milked in batches but more or less one by one throughout the day. No significant disruptions to diurnal patterns of activity have been recorded (Winter et al., 1992). Adaptation to increased frequency of milking was achieved through maintenance of lying time and compensatory feeding occurring at milking time.
At present, automatic milking designs are based on sequential access of cows over a twenty-four-hour period, with a feed as a reward to attract them. Nevertheless, in barns where the cows are free to choose their own movements to visit the automatic milking system, for a certain number of cows the preferred milking frequency will be difficult to reach. Therefore one-way cow routing systems have been introduced in the barns, which systems may be regarded as a kind of active selection. This active selection guarantees visits of all cows to the automatic milking system, but inhibits the cows"" movements through the cow shed and the animals spend less time at the feeding gate. (Ketelaar-de Lauwere, 1992; Winter et al., 1992). It is therefore advised that active selection should not be applied for long periods.
By EP-A1 636 312 and EP-A2 636 313 is previously known a construction using active selection for automatically milking animals. A shed, in which the animals can move about freely, is provided with a milking box coupled to a selection box, a couple of feeding stations and a plurality of resting boxes and a special reception area as well.
All of the resting boxes, feeding stations and also the selection box are each provided with an identification sensor which, together with a transponder to be carried by the animals, forms part of an identification system. The sensors are linked to a computer system, by means of which it can be established which animal is present at any moment in which resting box or in which feeding station and also how long the animals have already rested more particularly in the resting boxes. The resting boxes and feeding stations are equipped with a flash light and an expelling member, in order to force an animal to leave its current position.
Upon reporting at the selection box, it will be determined whether an animal is to be milked or not. In the negative case, the animal is guided back to the walking area of the shed but, in the positive case, the animal is allowed to proceed to the milking box. An ill or unproductive animal may be separated from the herd by leading it from the milking box to the special reception area.
By EP-A2 677 243 is previously known a method as initially defined for automatically milking animals and an implement for applying same illustrated by means of a shed organisation in the form of a loose-housing having cubicles and feeding stations arranged in combination with a walking area, so that the animals basically can walk around the shed, near one end of which there is a milking box. Next to the milling box there is an isolation area, which can be reached from the milking box or the walking are via respective doors. The isolation area can be used to separate the animals in categories, e.g. diagnosed-mastitis-animals, animals to be inseminated, animals which report to the milking box to be milked again too short a period of time after the previous milking etc.
As soon as an animal has entered the milking box, the animals identity will be established by means of a recognition system used therefore, which will obtain access to a data file present in a computer of the system for this animal. In this file has been recorded inter alia how much time has elapsed since her previous milking turn.
By means of the computer, the number of animals which are led from the milking area to the isolation area can be updated. There are also manually operable counting means, which are connected to the computer. The entering and leaving of the milking box and the isolation area is effected by means of computer-controlled doors.
Hence it is described in prior art to identify an animal in the milking box and to count the number of animals, which are led from the milking box to the isolation area(""243). Further, it is known from prior art to identify the animals in the resting boxes, feeding stations or in the selection box and to force the animals to leave the resting boxes and feeding stations when desired by the system (""312, ""313).
It is desirable to avoid negative stress, which can occur as a result of the active selection as described in the above prior art. Therefore a new arrangement using passive selection is proposed, according to which each animal is free to move within the shed and can make its own choice when to visit the automatic milking system, the feeding gate or the resting area, without being compelled from one place to another.
A certain control will still be required though, to prevent dominating cows from occupying the milking stall or feeding gate etc. to often. Otherwise it would be difficult for less dominant cows to get milked and fed on a proper timing corresponding to their individual twenty-four-hour rhythm.
According to the invention, it is therefore advantageously arranged that the animals are not exposed to the negative stress of being pushed around in the system. Advantageously, the possibility to get a sufficient update on the status and pattern of movement of an animal is still being maintained. Hereby, each animal will be stimulated to follow its own individual day and night rhythm.
An object of the invention is to solve the described problems with regard to previously known arrangements, by providing an improved method and arrangement for keeping lactating animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, buffaloes and the like in a loose-housing system.
The problems are solved by an arrangement as initially defined characterized in that the identification means involve at least one identification gate, which is provided between the resting and feeding sections and at least one identification gate, which is associated with the entrance gate to the milking stall, and that each gate is manoeuvrable between a first state and a second state by means of the control device.
A corresponding method as initially defined to solve the above problems is characterized in that each animal is free to move in the loose-housing system at its own option, by being allowed to pass through at least one identification gate, which is separately provided between the feeding section and the resting section, when said animal is scheduled as not due for milking by the control device
Hereby is achieved that an animal which is due for milking is allowed into the milking stall. An animal which is not due for milking is not allowed into the milking stall, but besides that free to move between the sections in the loose-housing system. The latter animal can change its mind and pass one or more gates between the feeding- and resting-sections as desired in one direction or the other. These advantages will avoid negative stress which otherwise would occur in systems where the animals are pushed around in the system.
Advantageously, a possibility is also achieved to get a picture of the status and pattern of movement of each animal, which also will be stimulated to follow its own day and night rhythm.
Advantageous developments and improvements of the invention are characterized by the features of the dependent claims.